Month: December 2010

Here are some of KingstonCitizens.org’s highlights in 2010. With so many ‘first ever’ projects and initiatives this year, I’m hopeful that more of us are coming to realize that anything is possible here. All you have to do is imagine it, roll up your sleeves and make it happen.

Happy New Year. Here’s to a meaningful, creative and community minded 2011.

January, 2010

* KingstonCitizens.org joins the ranks and begins posting on Facebook.

* The City of Kingston is named one of the top ten places to buy a home in America on a national news program.

The weekend brought out shoppers in droves, and I couldn’t help but ask myself where all the holiday money was coming from. With jobs scarce and credit cards maxed, what gives? Didn’t I just read something about a double dip recession? You’d think whatever we had left, we’d be socking away.

To make matters worse is that the bulk of the shoppers were at the mall. Corporate chains devour our local dollars and continue to obliterate our communities unique main street (and yes, even main street carries the majority of its items made in China. I will get into that at some other time). Even the most aware are in search of a bargain during the holiday season. For that, I say bah humbug. What’s it going to take to turn this ship around?

Raising a young child and struggling with our odd urge to consume as a society, I developed a recourse to my sons wanting with a catch phrase that seemed to say it all. “Don’t be greedy. Be grateful”. Saying this over and over again for the past several years is paying off. At five years old it’s all I have to say to him when he wants something that he really doesn’t need. He’s even saying it back to me when the same applies in reverse.

So, in the spirit of not being greedy but grateful, consider this:

1. 12.4 % of New York State Residents struggle with hunger.Local Support:The Queens Galley

2. Nearly 2.7 Million New Yorkers live in Poverty. That’s approximately 14.2% of the population.Local Support:Family of Woodstock

3. Nationwide, millions of dogs and cats are abandoned in rural and urban areas.Local Support:SPCA of Kingston

4. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older (about 1 in 4 adults) suffer from a mental disorder. This translates to about 57.7 million people. In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the US and Canada.Local Support:Chiz’s Heart Street

5. Of the almost 3.5 million violent crimes committed against family members, 49% of these were crimes against spouses.Local Support:Family Domestic Violence Services

6. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. Adolescence who are rejected by their families are 8.4 times more likely to report having an attempted suicide attempt, and for every completed suicide attempt, it is estimated that 100-200 are made.Local Support:The Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center

7. Residents of many US Cities lack adequate access to parks and open space near their homes. Community gardens increase residents sense of community ownership and stewardship, provide a focus for neighborhood activities, expose inner city youth to nature, connect people from diverse cultures, reduce crime by cleaning up vacant lots and build community leaders.Local Support:The Kingston Land Trust

If you don’t find something here that is important to you, take a moment and ask yourself what is. You’re bound to find an organization doing great things locally that could use a hand. Google it – and better yet, share it with us in the comment section of this post.

Tonight, towards the conclusion of the Uptown Holiday Open House, The O+ Festival will present more than $1,000 of their first-year proceeds to two local charities in Kingston. The amount represents a 10% gift that O+ board members agreed to disperse to charities on an annual basis. This year, O+ will recognize Angel Food East, a hot meal program for people living with HIV and AIDS in the Hudson Valley, and the Queens Galley, an Uptown-based program that provides awareness, education, relief and prevention of food insecurity in America, for their contributions to wellness in Kingston and the Hudson Valley, and their active commitment to fostering healthier communities. Representatives from all three organizations will be present for a brief & informal ceremony under the Christmas Tree on Maxwell’s Patio, commencing at 8:10 p.m. Please join us!

The remaining 90% of O+’s 2010 proceeds are currently going to support the 501-c3 application process for non-profit status, the O+ book project, a music/health event in spring 2011 (more info to come!) and the second annual O+ Festival, Columbus Day Weekend (October 7, 8, 9) 2011.

Director Maciek Godlewski recently completed a 4.5-minute mini-documentary of the first annual O+ festival — watch it on Vimeo!